CTY College Prep Online Course

A special online opportunity for CTY students in grades 10 – 12

About the Course

The Center for Talented Youth's Family Academic Programs, with support from CTYOnline, is proud to partner with Options for College, Inc. to bring students CTY College Prep, an online course that will guide you through the college application and admissions process.

Finding a good college fit and applying to schools can feel overwhelming. Keith Berman, Certified Educational Planner, former CTY student and staff member, and president of Options for College, will teach you how to find the right schools for you and put your best foot forward in the application process. This course will not only help you get into college, it will also prepare you for college itself and enable you to really make the most of your higher education experience.

Dates: Wednesdays, March 13 - May 8, 2013.
Section 1: 6:30-8:00 p.m. EST; Section 2: 8:30-10:00 p.m. EST

Session 1 (03/13/13):      The College Search
Session 2 (03/20/13):     Preparing to Visit
Session 3 (03/27/13):       Creating the College Resume
Session 4 (04/03/13):       Writing Your Personal Statement
Session 5 (04/10/13):       How to Respond to the Short Answer Essay
Session 6 (04/17/13):       Individual Sessions with Instructor
Session 7 (04/24/13):       Application Supplements
Session 8 (05/01/13):       Playing the Waiting Game without Standing Still
Session 9 (05/08/13):       Need-Based Financial Aid (for students and parents)

Tuition: $750

JHU

How to Register

To register, print and complete the CTY College Prep Registration Form. Please specify section 1 or section 2 on your form and mail or fax it with payment to:

CTY Family Academic Programs
P.O. Box 64300
Baltimore, Maryland 21264

FAX: 866-832-8621

Please submit your registration ONLY ONCE via fax OR mail to avoid duplicate charges.

Questions?
If you have any questions about the course or registration, please call 410-735-6115, 8:30-5:00 EST, or e-mail ctyfam@jhu.edu

Instructor

About Keith Berman, Course Instructor

Mr. Berman is a Certified Education Planner (CEP) by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners. He has served as the Interim Director of College Guidance at the Rudolf Steiner School, the staff consultant at the Yeshiva University High School for Boys, and the staff trainer for The Princeton Review—India. He is on the Teen Health and Wellness Expert Review Board at Rosen Publishing and the Bank Street College of Education Alumni Advisory Board, and is an IECA and NACAC member.
Berman
Mr. Berman has held several admissions positions at Ivy League institutions. He worked for Yale University as a Senior Interviewer, and a three-year member of the Undergraduate Recruitment Office. He also held an Interviewer position at the Harvard College Admissions Office, where he interviewed prospective students and participated in undergraduate admissions committee meetings

His other experiences include being a school teacher in the New York City public school system and being a researcher at a Washington, D.C. education think tank. Mr. Berman is also interested in education technology, and created a college interviewing app for the iPhone called Entoview College Edition.

Mr. Berman is a Roy E. Larsen Award recipient from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has received two Americorps grants Mr. Berman earned his B.A. as a double major at Yale University, his M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and his M.S.Ed. at Bank Street College. As a former CTY student for four years and former staff member in CTY’s Summer Programs, Mr. Berman has a special connection to the unique needs of gifted and talented students.

About OFC

Options for College (OFC) gets the best practices for applying and transitioning to college into the hands of those that need them, giving its families and clients maximum access to the world of postsecondary education. Its main office is in Manhattan, and in 2010 OFC opened a satellite office in Mumbai, India, to increase its ability to help students worldwide. OFC works with students in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and across the US, as well as many school districts and universities large and small. The biggest testament to OFC’s approach is not only that students receive wonderful acceptance from "reach" colleges, but that they are much more self-aware and prepared when they arrive, ready to contribute and be a part of college life.

Testimonials

Sample testimonials from a class rated a 4.75 out of 5 or higher each of its five semesters!:

"Our daughter thinks Keith Berman is an excellent instructor who made the course very interesting and she told us she learned so much from him! So far, our daughter has heard from a couple of great schools which she applied to (Stanford and USC), and both of them have accepted her! We are sure that that has a lot to do with Keith's help in getting her - along with other lucky students who have taken his course - better prepared."

“Keith, you have taken a huge load off of my back. I was pretty anxious about college applications, but now I feel like I have a reliable map that will lead me where I am destined to be. I can't thank you enough.”

“It was very helpful and gave me a lot of insight on EVERYTHING having to do with the college admissions process, and good advice for the rest of my high school experience also.”

“I was almost completely re-educated in my assumptions about college.”

“I would like to commend Mr. Berman's clear delivery of knowledge and advice regarding college admissions. I now feel much more confident on my journey through high school into college, thanks to my enrollment in this course. Thank you, Mr. Berman.”

“I now understand that these are opportunities to prove yourself, not burdens put upon students to make their lives more difficult.”

“I think researching the 'why' essays was the most helpful because it actually forced me to think about exactly what I want from my top choice colleges, which sometimes is hard for me to do when I have so much other school work occupying my time.”

“I was entirely overwhelmed about the college process and now I feel generally refreshed and enlightened. That also could be a sense of denial about looming AP exams, but all joking aside I feel like I should be able to counsel my friends along the college process with all of the knowledge I have gained.”